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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. race — the arms race
  3. last — final
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. fall — to drop
  7. race — humankind
  8. fall — to drop
  9. content — the amount
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. track — a path
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. track — a song
  14. fall — the season
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. track — to keep track
  17. content — happy
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. last — finally
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. last — to go on
  23. race — a contest
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com